Celebrating 80 Years - “A Place to Call Home,” 1991, La Puente Home

Large-scale social issues like homelessness can seem difficult or daunting to address, but communities often benefit when they come together to respond to such challenges with compassion and care. La Puente Home, an Alamosa-based nonprofit that serves six counties in the San Luis Valley, has worked since 1982 to “meet immediate needs and empower people to live independently with dignity.”

Celebrating 80 Years - “The Things You Learn from Sports,” 1990, The Colorado Springs Sports Corporation

The Colorado Springs Sports Corporation was created in 1978 to assist the United States Olympic Committee in its relocation to Colorado Springs. 40 years later, The Sports Corp continues to support amateur athletes from across the state, while managing events that draw visitors from around the world. One of these events, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, has a special connection to El Pomar Foundation and the Penrose legacy.

Tickling the ivories, using your feet: Nottingham player piano joins artifacts at Eagle museum

Pam Boyd, Vail Daily Eagle County's Nottingham family were the proud owners of a player piano, which is now on display at the Eagle County Historical Society Museum at Chambers Park in Eagle. "A $2,500 grant from El Pomar definitely kicked off the repair work," Eagle County Historical Society President Kathy Heicher said. The society hired a piano moving company, sent the instrument off to Denver and waited for word that the work was complete. This summer, the working Nottingham piano returned to Eagle County.

Celebrating 80 Years - An Inaugural Awards for Excellence Recipient, 1989, Mi Casa Resource Center

Mi Casa Resource Center was founded in 1976, when eight mothers living in West Denver came together to create a place for women who wanted more for themselves and their families. They sought a safe and supportive environment where women could complete their education and acquire new employment skills while their children received help and encouragement in school, and Mi Casa has operated to promote self-sufficiency, education, and employment skills ever since.

Celebrating 80 Years - “Quality, Accessible Healthcare,” 1988, Peak Vista Community Health Centers

Organizations working to promote the health of Coloradans have been a focus of El Pomar grant making since the Foundation’s inception. Peak Vista Community Health Centers, which provides access to exceptional healthcare for underserved Coloradans in the Pikes Peak and East Central regions, has been a grantee since 1976.

Celebrating 80 Years - “A Home for the Boy Who Needs One,” 1987, Griffith Centers for Children Chins Up

At Griffith Centers for Children Chins Up, an organization formed by the 2002 merger of Chins Up Youth and Family Services and Griffith Centers for Children, a child can receive a variety of counseling and educational services, designed to help them to transition into healthy homes and adulthood.

Voices of the Internship - A Helping Hand

Celebrating 80 Years - The Right Care, the Right People, 1986, Sunny Vista Living Center

With a legacy more than 100 years in the making, Sunny Vista strives to provide the older adult population of the Pikes Peak region with the best independent and assisted living services possible. From humble beginnings as a sanatorium, Sunny Vista now utilizes three unique and intertwined facilities to focus on every dimension of wellness for the senior population of Colorado Springs.

Celebrating 80 Years - A History on Ice, 1985, U.S. Figure Skating Association

Figure skating has a long history in Colorado Springs dating back to Spencer Penrose’s construction of the Broadmoor Ice Palace in 1937 and the influence of skating on the Pikes Peak region expanded in 1979 when the U.S. Figure Skating Association moved its headquarters to the Broadmoor area. El Pomar Foundation has worked closely with U.S. Figure Skating since its relocation in support of its contributions to the city’s identity as a hub for amateur athletics.

Celebrating 80 Years - Round of Applause, 1984, Creede Repertory Theatre

In the midst of an economic slowdown in 1966, the town of Creede reached out to university students to help build a summer tourist attraction. Originally run by 19-year old Steve Grossman, the Creede Repertory Theatre has grown to become a nationally acclaimed theater in the San Luis Valley region of Colorado. The Theatre not only contributes to the town’s economy, but also actively engages community children to promote the value of the arts.

Celebrating 80 Years - “Space Today for a Better Tomorrow,” 1983, United States Space Foundation

The United States Space Foundation was founded in 1983 and has since provided significant benefits to Colorado Springs and the national and international space communities. In particular, the Discovery Center and Space Symposium have brought significant tourism to the Pikes Peak region and the Foundation’s annual publication The Space Report is referenced widely in space-related policy making.

Grants, community support will make ball fields a reality

The current ball field in Hotchkiss is aged and requires students and players to cross a busy highway after school to attend practice. Grants from local and state funders will be used to build new, multi-sport fields.

Celebrating 80 Years - 1981, YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region

The YMCA of the Pikes Peak Region has provided support for the community since 1878 through youth sport camps, after-school classes, healthy living workshops, and a wide variety of other programs. Since its early days in London, the YMCA continues to make its programs accessible to all members of the community, regardless of socioeconomic status, through scholarships and financial assistance.

Celebrating 80 Years - Working to End Family Violence, 1982, TESSA

Since 1977, TESSA has provided safe housing, counseling, and advocacy support for victims of domestic abuse as well as education seminars for increased community awareness. In 1982, El Pomar helped fund the purchase of the organization’s confidential Safehouse, which continues to serve as a vital resource for women and children searching for a protected haven from dangerous partners.

Outward Bound: Lost More Than My Fear of Museums on the Colorado River

Each year, El Pomar Foundation Fellows embark on a weeklong journey of leadership and self-discovery with Colorado Outward Bound, bonding through shared experiences while learning how to overcome challenges as a team. In addition to the relationships formed, Outward Bound taught me a lesson about self-awareness that I will carry through the Fellowship and beyond.